Sitalpati,
a kind of mat, is perhaps the most notable and popular product among the
handicrafts of Cooch Behar. Unlike other kinds of mat woven in Bengal,
Sitalpati is more expensive. Barokodali, Ghughumari and Nakkati-Pushnadanga of Cooch Behar
district are the most
important centers of Sitalpati. Besides this is also available in states of
Tripura, Assam and in the
neighboring country of Bangladesh.

The word
'Sital-pati' means cool-mat. The makers are usually Kayasthas in caste, not a traditional
craftspeople caste. The raw material is the Mutra cane (Maranta dichotoma).

The green cane is kept
soaking in water before it is slashed/sliced into thin strips for making the
pati. Then the fine strips are woven by skillfully joining and interlacing to
shape into beautiful mats.

The quality of the Sitalpati mat is judged by its glossiness, smoothness
and fineness of texture. It is said that the best kind of Sitalpati is so smooth that even a snake cannot glide over
it.

This
particular quality of mat is particularly suited for the warm and humid climate of
this part of West Bengal. Sitalpati mats render a feeling of coolness
(thus rendering the name 'Sital' or 'Sheetal') to the person sitting or
sleeping on it, and are
intimately linked with everyday rural life. But besides being a rural craft,
this is now available outside the rural hinterlands. The aesthetic appeal and utilitarian value of
these mats have made them increasingly visible in large towns and
metropolitan cities thus expanding their traditional market.

Among the numerous
different varieties of mats woven and used, the Madur mat - made from the
"Madur Kathi" reed (Cyperus Tegetum and C. Pangorie) that
grows in the swampy area is another widely used household item. The warp is cotton/jute thread and the weft
is the madur kathi. Crafts of very fine textured mats made of carefully
selected reeds with beautiful geometric designs are indeed pleasures to the
eye.

Many
varieties of Bamboo as well as cane are available in Cooch Behar. These are
extensively used for handicrafts apart from building thatched houses in the
rural areas.

Dhamas
& Chalunis
(netted-baskets/containers) of different sizes and shapes, made of
whole or uncut bamboo/cane, are traditionally used extensively in the rural
areas for the carrying, storing and measuring of grains. Apart from this Dhama
work is now being adapted to various shapes for use by planters, fruit-sellers
and bread-bakers.

Domestic items like
fruit-trays, paper-baskets, bowls and home decorative like arm-chairs,
sofa-chairs, low-seats (Morhas), table-mats, waste paper baskets, magazine
racks & lot of decorative furniture are made out of cane/bamboo.

Bamboo-crafts
as above in the form of vase, bed-lamp.

The cane is heated and bend over a charchole fire and then
coiled together by the expert craftsmen giving the required shape, after which
it is smoked carefully to make it insect and waterproof.Cane
tray
as above may be used as trays for various purposes.

This kind of Cane
kunki
may be used as pen/pencil stands apart from measuring grains in rural areas.

Model
of Cooch Behar "Rajbari" (palace) made out of bamboo-stripsDesigner : Lakhan Barman

Jute, a bio-degradable product, is grown
almost all over West Bengal. Exquisite jute articles are made in Cooch Behar
by the Polia and Rajbanshi tribals. Jute items come in a range of fascinating
designs and sizes. Crafts Council of West Bengal has pioneered the craft of
jute embroidery by training about 30 women under training programmes of Govt.
of India and World Crafts Council. A range of items like table mats, bags,
bottle holders and cushions covers are made using these intricate
embroideries.

Kantha
is an indegenous household craft, stitched by the rural women. It is also
referred to as the thrift craft as it was usually done on layers of old cotton
'dhotis/sarees' with threads drawn out from the saree border for softness.
These are then embroidered all over. Thereafter the beneath-side is covered by
stitching single-coloured cloth for making it more durable in case of
front-side Kanthas. More fine the embroidery, more is the sophistication
effect. Hence the real value of Kantha embroidery lies in its fine craftsmanship
and vignettes of daily folk life motifs being a favorite of the embroiderers.
Nowadays it is usually commercially done on a single layer of new silk cloth
using new thread, but the Crafts Council strictly adheres to the traditional
three-layered quilting technique.

Some of the popular Kantha pieces are
stoles, bedspreads, wall hangings, cushion covers, napkins and beach bags.

Shola-pith is a kind of
very light pithy reed found in the marsh lands of Eastern India. The Craftsmen
or 'malakars' work with their special iron knives or 'kath' to fashion
intricate objects out of it.

The core of this reed, which is pure white in
colour, is exposed
when the outer layer of the stalk is shaved. The core is light, porous, soft,
and pliable and can be shaped to suit the imagination of the artisan. Skilled
craftsmen shape this reed into many objects: scaled down models of temples,
churches and mosques, carved images of Gods/Goddess (like Durga, Kali, Ganesh
and so on),
marriage headgear ("Topor" & "Mukut"), flowers and
garlands, toys and mobiles are all crafted from this reed.

Apart from toys and images, big and small, some
shola-pith craftsmen also
create items that form an integral part of most of the major religious
rituals - mainly in the form of "Solar Saaj" - which is the ornamentation and
decoration for sacred images. This latter form uses foils, sequins, beads or
artificial pearls mounted on cupboard. Since these foils were once used to be
imported from Germany by post or 'dak' the decoration came to be known
as "Daker Saaj".